The Ebb of the Tide

[Xen]

Fall 2, 514 A.V.

The hour was reaching a fine midday, and Xen was on his way to the shoreline. The beach was a soothing place to train, and practice—much more so than his dank, and dim cavern. The home that should have been comfortable for him was deemed as a place of idle wonders, and Xen refused to be lazy and unproductive. He made his way through the jungle brush, struggling against the thick branches that seemed to purposely want to obscure his path, and halt his great journey. However, not even the pestering foliage of the jungle would perturb him from his goal, and Xen presses on, muscling his way through the clusters of green, and brown in front of him.

In chimes of traversing the jungle, Xen could hear the sighing of the waves, and smell the cool scent of the ocean. It was like his tired body was revived by his these things, as he was quickly able to regain his strength, and resume without bothersome fatigue. During his walk, he presses his feet into the earth, and crouches before a large stump. When he quickly straightens his legs, they send him through the air, and over the stump in his path. Xen did not know the true limits of acrobatics; however, always sought to test the limits of his body. The jungle was a perfect place for this, and as he falls, he bends his legs to lessen the impact and stress on his joints.

Xen looks ahead of him while smiling—this area was a perfect warm-up to undertake before reaching the beach. From his lowered position, Xen crouches like a grasshopper, and springs forward much like the insect would. With the force of his jump behind him, Xen races forward; running with the wind that blows behind him. The exhilaration he felt while running through the jungle could only be describe as freedom—to feel unbound by stone, wood, and metal—to roam as one wished. This was


what Xen loved the most about Falyndar, and about the wilderness, and nature as a whole. Xen continued his run through the jungle, displaying the speed his dhani bloodline possessed. He zooms pass several trees, which silently observed him as he went, and extends his arms outwards to simulate a bird in flight. Xen was happily enjoying his run—even as a big, fallen tree threatens to stop his jungle dash. He accepts the challenge, and speeds up to rush the tree at an even greater velocity. With his increased pace Xen closed the distance between him, and the tree in mere chimes. Once the tree was close enough to jump over, Xen kicks off the ground, and glides over the sleeping giant. He extends his arms forward, and did the same with his legs as he vaults through the air.

¨The shore," Xen said, and he lands into the sand with a soft poof. A gentle cloud of golden brown sand, kicked up by his landing, was picked up by the wind, and carried out into the ocean. Xen quietly watches this act, and grins with his back against the warm sand. Now tired, he stares out into the sea; happy to return to his shore.

[Opal Seastride]

It was an hour close to being mid day. Opal had stepped out of her cabin and she would yawn a bit would stretch as if she had just woke up from a small nap. She looked down at the water and she had begun to use her oceanus to pull some water from the Suvan sea so she could start to cook. As she had gotten her pots ready and a nice size fire going she had begun to fish using her fishing net. As the net had hit the water her Tavan had started to scare the fish into her net. She would giggle and laugh a bit.

She had started to dance a bit and the hour had became mid-day. She had begun to sing a soft melody that would be carried by the wind. Once she started to sing she pulled her net up and would look at the fish. She would reach down and grab a handful and would cut them a few times so her Tavan would smell the blood and go after them. She would reach her hand in the water and would pet her shark and would kiss its nose and it would go back into the water and swim around the ship as if it was protecting it.

As the shark began to swim she started to cook the fish using her spices and a few other things for a good meal. She takes a glance at the shore. As she did she had noticed a small figure and she couldn't make out who or what the figure was and she quickly began to hide after she took the fish off the fire.

[Xen]

Fall 2, 514 A.V.

Xen sat up, and shook his head to free his hair of sand. He had sand fall from his shoulders—while more stubborn bits clung to his back. Xen did not bother with dusting the sand from his body—outdoor training meant that one sought to get dirty within the presence of nature. Xen stretches his body, and limbers up with arm, and leg stretches to prepare for his run across the shoreline. He would swim later, and be much more cautious than he was before—memories from his last encounter with a tiger shark were haunting him still, reminding him of the danger that lurked a midst the beauty of the sea.

Before he began his training, Xen looks to his left to see if the corpse of his shark foe remained. It did, but what remained, after an entire season of rot, was a skeletal frame with small bits of flesh hanging onto it. One could see signs of predation, and scavenging from the animal tracks, bite, and claws marks on the tiger sharks dead frame. Xen walks over to the corpse to investigate what secrets it held, as he would collect a bone or two from it. While walking Xen scans the horizon upon the sea, and lowers his eyes onto the ever moving water. The glare of the sun shines into his eyes, after it reflects from the sea water, and he closes them in response to the pain.


¨Ugh, ocean glare," he grumbles while rubbing his eyes. Xen turns his head from the ocean, and turns his attention to the rotting corpse in front of him. There were many gaping holes within the massive sharks body, and the largest one was where the sharks stomach was—something, or a group of things had eaten their way through the thick cartilage, and into the soft insides of the shark. Xen had to cover his mouth, because the smell from the corpse threatened to slither into his mouth. The constant rain that plagued Falyndar preserved some of the sharks hide—it was still durable even after an entire season of weather exposure, and animal wear-and-tear.

¨The head, sseemss good,¨ Xen unsheathes his dagger, and jabs the shark in the gills. He pushes the dagger as deep as he could into the sharks left gill, and cuts across the back of the sharks head. Xen gags as putrid blood pours from the opening he made, but continues to cut with his dagger, sliding his blade through dead flesh until it met with the tiger sharks right set of gills. Xen backs away from the corpse, and inhales the fresh ocean breeze for air. The creature smelled terrible; however, quick work needed to be done, if he wanted the sharks skull.

Xen washes his blade in the ocean water, and smears the wet blade against his pants to dry it. He places the weapon into its sheath, putting it away, and unsheathes his machete-sword to prepare for a very messy decapitation process. Xen stands beside the corpse for a chime to prepare his body, and mind for the ensuing smell, and begins hacking away at the opening he made with his dagger. Every blow causes putrid blood to flow—some splatters onto the ground, and onto his swimming goggles.

Xen couldn't take the smell anymore, and he walks into the waves in order to wash his goggles, and machete. He dips his goggles into the water, and cleans the delicate lens with his fingers—as he washes, he notices a ship sitting amongst the waves, and for a moment believed he'd seen someone on the ship.

¨That'ss one ssstrange looking ship," Xen said, as he places the swimming goggles around his neck.

[Opal Seastride]

opal would be looking around the corner of her ship. She looks behind her as she snapped her fingers the tiger shark began to circle the ship protecting it. She would then try to find away to mask the wonderful sent of her food so the strange man couldn't smell but she falls. She would then open a small window into her room and would place the food on her night stand and would cover up the window.

She watch's the man jab his knife into a animals corpse but couldn't really make it out and would let out a faint scream that could be herd on the beach. She would then cover her mouth rather quickly and would hide again as she slowly started to cry. She would fall to her bum crying and would try to get some air.

Opal then would get mad a little bit and try's to over come her fear of people just to tell him what she think. She try's and try's again but fails at doing so. Her own fear had stopped her from doing it. As she thinks of a new plan she mistakenly comes out of her hiding spot not realizing it and would be talking rather loudly. " I'm going to make him pay." would be the last thing she says that could be herd clearly.

[Xen]

Fall 2, 514 A.V.

Xen couldn't smell a thing, besides the decaying flesh of a shark. He would have enjoyed the smell of cooked food, and would not have minded eating something good as well.

However, at the time, he would have to wait, or risk vomiting. Xen goes back to cutting the shark, he wanted the creatures bones, and flesh—he would have taken the beasts head the day he killed it, but his injuries, coupled with exhaustion, prevented that. Xen places the machete into the gaping wound he made in back of the sharks head, and begins sawing his way through. The flesh made squishing sounds as he slices into the meat, and blood seeps onto the sand, dying it red. Sea water, rushing upon the shore, catches some of the blood, and washes the sand of it.

¨Did someone saying something?¨ Xen wasn't entirely sure, but someone spoke something, somewhere near him. He looks around in suspicion, and caution; eyes darting to the jungle. Xen thought of myrian's, and immediately grimaced at the thought of them. What nasty creatures; they were worst than a swarm of biting flies. And like all annoying insects, needed to be exterminated. Yet, how would he go about bringing destruction to all of the myrian's? He was but one male viper with no influence, or power within the nest.

Xen walks away from the dead shark, catches a breath of air, and then returns to the shark to continue chopping. Xen strokes downwards, and slices through the rancid flesh before him. He pulls his blade from the flesh, and slashes again to cut further into the meat. Xen does this several times before his machete strikes something hard within the tough cartilage—it was probably a bone of some sort. He hits the tough bone with his weapon a few times to weaken it, and walks away to catch his breath.

This damned, stubborn shark was still giving him problems even in death.

Xen catches his breath, and stands in front of the shark. He crouches, and grips onto the sharks head; his grip was firm, despite his reluctance to touch the dead creature. Xen then does the unwise action of violently shaking the beast—causing its mouth to open, and reveal rows of yellowed teeth. Xen almost vomits after looking upon the sharks shriveled, and blackened tongue. And although this repulsed Xen, he twists the sharks head to the right until he hears a snap. The sound was reassuring the him, but the smell was doing wonders on his stomach.

¨Nope, I've had enough,¨

Xen steps away from the corpse, and drops down into the shallow seawater—he felt unclean after spending all those chimes near a smelling, dead mass of meat. The sea would purify him, but as he sits up in the water, he couldn't help but wonder why the ship was so still near the shore. Xen sat up, still observing the ship, and his gaze falls upon something moving in the water. He squints, and thought that the object was a log of some sort—continuing to watch, he notices that the object was not what he thought it was.

¨That's a shark, and now I can't swim, great,¨

Xen looks on, staring at the vessel in front of him. It would have been cool to go aboard, but Xen wasn't going to risk being bitten...again.

[Opal Seastride]

Opal would be watching what the person is doing and she would try to stop him by yelling at him." Hey you stop doing that it is already dead." She would say as she began to look at the figure. She would slowly begin to cry some watching the figure hack away at the sharks neck. she goes below deck looking for something she can use to get his attention. She grabs two pots and would go above deck and would begin to bang them a few times hoping it would work. She still tries to get the figures attention and would fail. She goes up to the wheel and begins to life her anchor up and moves her ship closer to the shallow end and drops her anchor. as the anchor hits the bottom she would lock it in place before she gets off her ship.

Once she had jumped off her ship she would run towards the figure and notices it is a man standing before her. She slows down to a halt once she see's the mans face and would slowly but surely get scared again and would freeze up not knowing what to do. She stands in the spot like a statue and would move or say anything due to her fear of people kicking back in. The only thing she could do is drop her pots and falls to her knees almost scared of what the man can do to her and say about her. Knowing she is to far from her tavan for it be able to help her she begins to sob a little bit.

After a few minutes pass up she slowly begins to talk but doesn't make eye contact. "Why .. Why must you do that to the poor animal that is already dead?" She would ask as she began to tremble due to her fear. She is on her knees shaking very badly and would be looking down at the sand crying a bit. She begins to wipe her tears away and more would just be forming and taking the others places.